Oly Arts Summer 2025 Print Edition
The Summer print edition of OLY ARTS N0. 33 is published! Here is a list of where in the Olympia area you can pick up your FREE copy, and a link to the PDF file so you can read it online. Enjoy!
visual art
tomakesenseofitall: Aisha Harrison and Paige Pettibon at Tacoma Art Museum
The art of Aisha Harrison and Paige Pettibon in their show, “tomakesenseofitall” at Tacoma Art Museum works to deliver orchestrated messages, respecting and supporting each other’s voice, singing a similar song which gives you many things to think about. Harrison and Pettibon have much in common, they both practice their disciplines with similar concerns in mind, they both utilize a rich, visually allegorical narrative, incorporating surrealism as a means of communication to express the niche space they occupy in the world.
Dive Into Summer Reading List at Childhood’s End
Summer Reading List at Childhood’s End Gallery gathers a diverse sampling of what the book arts can do. Childhood’s End is Olympia’s premiere art gallery, and this exhibition should not be missed. The artists are: Susan Aurand, Malpina Chan, Camella Gumaelius, Robin Gumaelius, Lucia Harrison, Randi Parkhurst, Shu-Ju Wang and Suze Woolf.
Heart of the Deernicorn and Studio Golden in Downtown Olympia
Mo Golden and Ross Cowman are the owners of Heart of the Deernicorn Inc. Cowman has been casually designing tabletop games since he was a kid. Cowman and Golden made a game together called Night Forest. Golden studied fine art with Marilyn Frasca, also movement with Rob Esposito at Evergreen. Cowman says the prompts in the game give an opportunity to share in a poetic way, poetry being a love of Cowman’s which he studied as a student at Evergreen.
Artists’ Gallery Summer Party: You’re Invited!
Founded in downtown Olympia in 1980 by a group of artists dedicated to bringing their work directly to and fostering a dialogue with the community, the Artists’ Artists’ Gallery in Capital Mall celebrates 45 years of cooperative art this summer with live music and an opportunity to meet and talk with the artists, and view a wide selection of drawings, paintings, sculpture, jewelry and other artworks.
Labyrinths at Thurston County Museum of Fine Arts
Thurston County Museum of Fine Arts supports experimental and experiential art. They have made themselves quite the legacy. They usually house group shows twice a year, with some solo shows in between when possible. The Spring Arts Walk show through May 24 is a local open call. The theme is Labyrinth, and it is a deeply intriguing show because of its multiple interpretations of this universal theme and the uses of varied materials and compositions.
Danger Room’s Stand-Up Comics Guy Celebrates Free Comic Book Day
Even contemplating the upcoming annual chaos known as Free Comic Books Day at Danger Room Comics on May 3rd elicits a hearty chuckle from Frank Hussey. “I like to say it’s my favorite holiday where I work all day long.” Hussey is the proprietor, and the garrulous mirror-universe twin of Comic Book Guy from The Simpsons. Instead of a sour-faced and patronizing comics geek, he’s a smiling and loquacious shopkeeper who’s equally informative and open-hearted.
2025 Juror’s Invitational at South Puget Sound Community College
Gallery Director Sean Barnes said of the 2025 Juried Invitational Exhibition at South Puget Sound Community College, “This show has this nice balance of kind of spirituality and observation of the natural world. We have these temples and this little chapel for (Charles Pitz’s) work and then a goddess dress, and they are surrounded by
representational images of nature. It really came together in an interesting way.”
South Sound Studio Tour: Two Days of Wonder
by Alec Clayton The South Sound Studio Tour is a free self-guided tour of artists’ studios throughout Olympia, Tumwater and Lacey with more than 75 artists in more than 25 studios where you can see their recent work and talk to them about their art. Here are four artist studios not to be missed: Joe …
The Center Salon Lights Up the Washington Center
Speaking of the Center Salon at The Washington Center, Jill Barnes, executive director of the center, said, “It’s really fun to see so many different genres of art in one night. It’s pretty special. The center hosts touring artists from all over the world, and this event showcases our homegrown talent. It complements the rest of our programming and who we are and what we do.” Co-curated by Olympia’s own, Bryan Willis, the Center Salon will fill the center’s black box on the evening of Saturday, March 22.